Social Forestry

Foundation in Social Forestry ®

Why woodlands for health and wellbeing?

Woods provide for the wellbeing of individuals; they promote recovery after illness, reduce stress, increase health, reduce obesity and promote positive attitudes. There are a number of programmes, projects and research that outline how Social Forestry ® practitioners can establish these benefits within the lives of ordinary people from a wide range of backgrounds, locations and needs.

The Foundation in Social Forestry course is run over five days. You will learn about woods and forests and how to look after them successfully and also how to identify and utilise wood and natural products to make and create greenwood crafts using tools. Alongside this, there is the human wellbeing unit, where you will learn to appreciate the basic attributes of wellbeing and how you as a practitioner can facilitate this and help to develop a positive mental attitude in all those you work with.

The remarkable increase in interest, from practitioners like you, families, children and individuals who are focused and impassioned by the need to discover, feel, understand and simply be in woods has led to a dramatic increase in buying and spending time in the woodland environment.

Social Forestry ® programmes are without a doubt having a massive impact on all who attend. These long-term programmes, working with Special Needs, Mental Health, NEETs or PPO’s (Persistent Prolific Offenders), provide a renewed inspiration for individuals who had no hope and no sense of personal achievement. They offer them the ability to enter back into the sociable world that presents a sense of community and personal development. This gives you some idea of the gravity of the effect you can have on children, young people and families by becoming a Social Forestry® practitioner.